Police rip clothes off female ‘Occupy Melbourne’ protester

A female protester has officially complained after police in Melbourne forcibly removed the tent dress she was wearing, leaving her nearly naked on the gound.

The woman, named Sarah, was one of several Occupy “tent monsters” who decided to wear their tents as a creative way to keep police from confiscating them.

In several videos posted to YouTube Monday, at least seven male and female Melbourne Council rangers began disrobing the young woman.

“This is not consensual,” Sarah said. “Don’t take my clothes off!”

The woman yelled as officers ripped and tore the tent dress until she was left in only her bra and panties. As she sat on the ground trying to cover herself, the police quickly turned and exited the park, neglecting to see if she was hurt.

“The Ethical Standards Department has subsequently received a physical assault complaint in relation to this incident and is investigating,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“As this investigation is ongoing we will not be commenting further.”

Tal Slome, a spokeswoman for Occupy Melbourne, explained that the action was a “completely unnecessary form of brutality” because police knew she was only wearing underwear beneath the tent.

About the Author

David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he's also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.